Glock 44 reliability "update"

I’d like a G-48-ish sized .22, myself with the same single stack mags you are describing

Using a Lone Wolf Distributing frame is about as close as you can get to a G48 size frame in 22lr right now. The Timberwolf and Freedom Wolf grips are definitely smaller than a G19 or Polymer 80 grip. I would say the LWD frame grip size in between the G48 and G19 but closer to the G48.

here are some photos to compare.

G5 vs FW 2.jpeg G5 vs FW 3.jpeg G5 vsFW 1.jpeg IMG_2605.jpeg IMG_2606.jpeg
 
Using a Lone Wolf Distributing frame is about as close as you can get to a G48 size frame in 22lr right now. The Timberwolf and Freedom Wolf grips are definitely smaller than a G19 or Polymer 80 grip. I would say the LWD frame grip size in between the G48 and G19 but closer to the G48.

here are some photos to compare.

View attachment 1113872 View attachment 1113873 View attachment 1113874 View attachment 1113875 View attachment 1113876
Interesting…is that frame compatible with the G44?
 
Interesting…is that frame compatible with the G44?

Yes it is. If you look at post #8 in the following thread you will see my LWD frame with a G44 slide on it (gold trigger).

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/picked-up-a-glock-44-22lr-today.912177/https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/picked-up-a-glock-44-22lr-today.912177/

One thing about the LWD frames is that you must use a Gen 3/4 slide stop lever and must also use a Gen 3/4 trigger pin. Otherwise a Gen 5 slide runs great on those frames.
 
Just wanted to update this thread, didn't do much shooting this summer but what lil I did do was mostly with my G44. I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 7500-8500 rds of .22lr through this G44 with no maintenance other than a very occasional dab of 5w20 motor oil on the rails. Haven't even wiped it out or taken a brush to the bbl. I have closer to 10K through this gun but after a few bulk packs at the beginning I thoroughly cleaned it and then the next 1K rounds or so I hosed/wiped it out with break free and scrubbed the bbl.

After my first few bulk packs and a lil maintenance I decided to neglect this gun and see how long I could go before I started getting malfunctions. To date, all I have to report are a very small handful of duds, currently about 1K rounds through a 1400 rd Remingtin bucket o' bullets with NO DUDS and no malfunctions except a couple times the magazine failed to push up the next round and got a click because the round didn't get picked up by the slide but other than that I can say this pistol has really impressed me.

I still hate the sites even though I'm used to them but I would like to put some Trijicons on it because they are my favorite and shoot the best imo but the people who said this gun was finicky or ammo sensitive must've got bad ones because about half has been winchester and remington Bulk and the other half a mix of CCI MM's, Auto Match and assorted Aguila SV, HV. All have performed pretty much flawlessly.

My gun is filthy and has all kinds of brass, lead and carbon crud in it. I'm gonna just keep at it though. I've been working through this 1400rd bucket which seems like forever but it's only really been a few weeks. Shooting every day after work and on weekends.

One things for sure, this Glock has definitely earned itself a nice set of sights. Anybody who was on the fence about this gun because of initial bad reviews from prominent gun tubers, I would say roll the dice. You might end up with one that just won't quit. I think Glock reported having one go 20K rds without cleaning. Not a target or match pistol, but definitely a good .22lr that will keep you shooting on the cheap.
 
Just wanted to update this thread, didn't do much shooting this summer but what lil I did do was mostly with my G44. I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 7500-8500 rds of .22lr through this G44 with no maintenance other than a very occasional dab of 5w20 motor oil on the rails. Haven't even wiped it out or taken a brush to the bbl. I have closer to 10K through this gun but after a few bulk packs at the beginning I thoroughly cleaned it and then the next 1K rounds or so I hosed/wiped it out with break free and scrubbed the bbl.

After my first few bulk packs and a lil maintenance I decided to neglect this gun and see how long I could go before I started getting malfunctions. To date, all I have to report are a very small handful of duds, currently about 1K rounds through a 1400 rd Remingtin bucket o' bullets with NO DUDS and no malfunctions except a couple times the magazine failed to push up the next round and got a click because the round didn't get picked up by the slide but other than that I can say this pistol has really impressed me.

I still hate the sites even though I'm used to them but I would like to put some Trijicons on it because they are my favorite and shoot the best imo but the people who said this gun was finicky or ammo sensitive must've got bad ones because about half has been winchester and remington Bulk and the other half a mix of CCI MM's, Auto Match and assorted Aguila SV, HV. All have performed pretty much flawlessly.

My gun is filthy and has all kinds of brass, lead and carbon crud in it. I'm gonna just keep at it though. I've been working through this 1400rd bucket which seems like forever but it's only really been a few weeks. Shooting every day after work and on weekends.

One things for sure, this Glock has definitely earned itself a nice set of sights. Anybody who was on the fence about this gun because of initial bad reviews from prominent gun tubers, I would say roll the dice. You might end up with one that just won't quit. I think Glock reported having one go 20K rds without cleaning. Not a target or match pistol, but definitely a good .22lr that will keep you shooting on the cheap.
Mine has also ate pretty much everything too. I put a Timney trigger in mine….lots of fun!
 
Thanks for reviving your original thread @DustyGmt . :thumbup:
(That wasn’t sarcasm)

Right after this thread was posted I bought a G44. My Glock 44 was a finicky little PITA! It only consistently fired certain ammunition but standard velocity ammo and bulk ammo just never ran consistently. Accuracy wasn’t there either. One time it would fire to the right. The next time to the left. In June Aafter 1950 rounds of “testing” I decided to send it back to Glock, get the issues addressed and sell the darn thing.

Boy was I surprised when I got it back. The gun literally looked brand new but all the serial numbers were intact. I am pretty sure every internal component was replaced. The slide looked brand new. No copper on the breech. The work order repair note said “Replaced slide cover plate”. 🤪
A magical slide cover plate fixed all the issues I was having. Yeah, okay…

My Glock 44 runs like a champ now. From CCI Std Velocity ammo up to hyper velocity ammo it runs great. The floating windage accuracy issue is gone. The worst running ammo in that gun was Federal Auto Match. Why wouldn’t it be? It’s the ammo I have a bunch of and Murphy is an SOB. 😆
Now Fed. Auto Match runs great and is fairly accurate from my G44.
I called Glock to find out what they did exactly and the nice lady I spoke to really couldn’t tell me from what she had in her computer screen other than the changing of the slide cover plate. I asked her to put a note in my account that states “Customer inquired as to the cost and purchase of the new Glock Magical Cover Plates and if there’s a purchase limit?”. She laughed. I don’t know if she made that entry though.

I am very happy with my Glock 44 now. I may just have to keep it after all.

Dusty, I put a Hi Viz fiber optic sight on the front of my gun and left the factory rear. This set up is on all my Glocks except 2 and one of those will be changed soon. It looks kind of like this now:
1695823865375.jpeg
 
This is probably almost 1K rounds ago, didn't have great light in there bit it is super gunked and filled with powdered brass crud, etc... I throw it in my car everyday with a bucket of ammo sitting on the floor in my rig and every day drive out to a spot where I have a few steel ringers and just pump mags through it. Sometimes I don't even get out of my rig. Figure it's good practice if you can do so safely.

I'm looking at it now and seeing how gunked it is and thinking it won't go that much further without at least a wipe out but others claim they've had 20K with no cleaning. We shall see I guess but it's gonna take me a good while to get to 20K. I wish glock sold 15rd mags for em. Can't ship the pro mag 18's into VT:fire:


IMG_20230927_103019.jpg
 
I have over 20,000 rounds fired through mine but I do occasionally wipe it down some. I know one guy on ARFCOM that has a similar round count with no cleaning.

My Lone Wolf frame with a G44 slide doesn't have no where near the same round count but I also haven't cleaned it and it runs like a top too.
 
Out of curiosity I did a search for “Glock 44 15 round magazine”.

I found this. I have no idea if this works.
Ah yes, I remember some time ago now, I found that guys video on YT. I may watch it again but it was a DIY mod to the 10rd mag and I'm pretty sure people generally laud the mod as being reliable but I just wish Promag had stuck to 15 since alot of states impose a 15rd restriction for handguns. I may buy a couple 10rd mags and give it a go, it didn't look terribly complicated
 
@DustyGmt this is just an idea, 2 ideas.

1. Would it be legal to buy the ProMags then convert them to 15 rounds permanently so they are VT legal?

2. California has a 10 round mag limits. Some FFLs there are authorized to receive “hi cap” (standard) magazines for sales to law enforcement. These same FFLs can modify these magazines “permanently” to only hold 10 rounds. A rivet added in the body, usually through a round count view hole, stopping the follower from moving any further than the 10 round limit.
Could a VT supplier of magazines higher than 15 rounds, like a business that supplies police and other LEO’s modify your mags legally?
 
I had one for a while. It ran 100% with high velocity loads. Less than perfect with light target loads. I liked a lot about it but I didn't shoot mine particularly well. A big part of it was that it was significantly lighter than my center fire Glocks. And the light weight made it harder to hold steady.
 
I throw it in my car everyday with a bucket of ammo sitting on the floor in my rig and every day drive out to a spot where I have a few steel ringers and just pump mags through it. Sometimes I don't even get out of my rig. Figure it's good practice if you can do so safely
perhaps i should caution people against this although i dont know if it could really be all that hazardous with open windows but after about 2 weeks of regularly shooting from the rig, I wound up with crazy vertigo and stumbling around almost feeling drunk. It may not be an issue but I have to say the place I just moved from had alot of mold and water built up in my residence from a recent natural disaster, could be a result of all things at once...... shoot from your pickup at your own risk though, I definitely caught some fumes but it could have been anything. I was running a 102° fever at the time too so take that for what it's worth
 
perhaps i should caution people against this although i dont know if it could really be all that hazardous with open windows but after about 2 weeks of regularly shooting from the rig, I wound up with crazy vertigo and stumbling around almost feeling drunk. It may not be an issue but I have to say the place I just moved from had alot of mold and water built up in my residence from a recent natural disaster, could be a result of all things at once...... shoot from your pickup at your own risk though, I definitely caught some fumes but it could have been anything. I was running a 102° fever at the time too so take that for what it's worth
I hope you feel better soon.
 
I was thinking about it and I have never let any gun get more than a few hundred rounds without cleaning. I just can’t do it, but it’s nice to know these guns can handle it.

I take that back.
About 17 years ago I did a test with my Glock 34 and my Colt 1991A1 - Glock vs 1911. I did a complete tear down cleaning and lube. I fired factory FMJ ammo in both.
The 1911 got 230 gr FMJ Federal American Eagle.
The Glock got a variety of 115 gr FMJ factory ammo.
I decided to give each gun minimal lube every 200 rounds with no cleaning of any kind.

The Colt had a stovepipe jam at 256 rounds. That was cleaned and firing continued. At round 265 it jammed again. Partial stovepipe. Cleared and it jammed again on round 266. Colt Test Complete.

The Glock went to 926 rounds and stovepiped. Cleared and continued firing. The Glock jammed up at round 960 or 961. I cleared it jacked another round in and “click”. No fire.

That was the longest I ever let a gun go without cleaning and proper lube.
 
Side by side torture test started this summer - G44, FN502 and Sig P322. Haven't cleaned them in hundreds of rounds. Was curious which would flinch first. G44 eats most all it is fed, same with FN502. P322 is more particular. With the ammo it likes, it is a sewing machine. Otherwise, jam-o-matic.

Testing continues...
 
***Thread Update*** (Post #44 ;))

I just worked my way through another 1400 rd bucket of Remington Golden Bullet (bucket o' bullets) 36gr bulk. I also dumped 200rds of federal auto match into that bucket so that's 1600rds actually and they are all gone. I would say with some confidence that I'm passed the 10,000 rd mark with no maintenance, only lube occasionally with this gun and can't recall a single failure (at least since the last few thousand rounds, very occasional dud). I think the G44 must have a nice strong firing pin spring since duds are very, very few and far between.

It remains acceptably accurate and I can run this gun very well. At least in terms of speed and decent accuracy. I never shoot the gun for pinpoint accuracy and basically stick to drills. I can paint a fist sized "group" muy rapido! At about 7 yards, on a 33% ipsc steel silhouette and reload for a string of 40 rds staying on target keeping it to the "fist". Great for cheap training.

I still only have 4 mags, would like to get a dozen more and spend more time shooting between reloads but overall I'm very happy with the G44 in reliability terms. I hate how the sights are though, I hate a low hold. I like to square it up like I do my other glocks but I'll address that later. 10K rounds +/- of mostly crap ammo, 36-40gr, SV/HV and its still humming right along.....

I'm hoping this time next year I'll have another 10K through it and will update with any potential issues, something tells me issues may arise in the next 10K. I know my other Ruger .22lr pistols I had in the past would have choked a looooong time ago. IMG_20231231_175334.jpg
 
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Thanks for reviving your original thread @DustyGmt . :thumbup:
(That wasn’t sarcasm)

Right after this thread was posted I bought a G44. My Glock 44 was a finicky little PITA! It only consistently fired certain ammunition but standard velocity ammo and bulk ammo just never ran consistently. Accuracy wasn’t there either. One time it would fire to the right. The next time to the left. In June Aafter 1950 rounds of “testing” I decided to send it back to Glock, get the issues addressed and sell the darn thing.

Boy was I surprised when I got it back. The gun literally looked brand new but all the serial numbers were intact. I am pretty sure every internal component was replaced. The slide looked brand new. No copper on the breech. The work order repair note said “Replaced slide cover plate”. 🤪
A magical slide cover plate fixed all the issues I was having. Yeah, okay…

My Glock 44 runs like a champ now. From CCI Std Velocity ammo up to hyper velocity ammo it runs great. The floating windage accuracy issue is gone. The worst running ammo in that gun was Federal Auto Match. Why wouldn’t it be? It’s the ammo I have a bunch of and Murphy is an SOB. 😆
Now Fed. Auto Match runs great and is fairly accurate from my G44.
I called Glock to find out what they did exactly and the nice lady I spoke to really couldn’t tell me from what she had in her computer screen other than the changing of the slide cover plate. I asked her to put a note in my account that states “Customer inquired as to the cost and purchase of the new Glock Magical Cover Plates and if there’s a purchase limit?”. She laughed. I don’t know if she made that entry though.

I am very happy with my Glock 44 now. I may just have to keep it after all.

Dusty, I put a Hi Viz fiber optic sight on the front of my gun and left the factory rear. This set up is on all my Glocks except 2 and one of those will be changed soon. It looks kind of like this now:
View attachment 1173389
Hey I just updated the thread and caught this post. I'm glad you got it sorted out and are happy with your G44. I certainly can't complain about mine more than 10K rounds later. It would normally take me at least a few years with considerable expense to get up to that round count but this has sort of been a side project. It definitely sounds like they were in a CYA mode when the fixed yours up, slide cover plate doesn't track, but mass produced production guns aren't immune to occasional OOS parts and at least in the end, they sorted you out.

I can say with some confidence that after 10K rounds of a good deal of cheap bulk ammo of varying quality and grain weight, this lil sucker shoots and would be fine recommending one. Especially since there are others in this thread that are way ahead of me and claim 20K+++ rounds with no issues. Not sure how much more you could ask of a rimfire besides maybe a better set of sights. I'm still rocking OEM sights but I might take your suggestion on the Ameriglo front, how's that been working for you?

I have an Ameriglo post on my 17 and it still remains super bright and light reactive after like 10 years.....got the blacked out I.C.E. rear UW notch. I think the Triji 3-Dots are better but the Ameriglo post looks torch bright at night....
 
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Update: since I have surpassed the 10K rd mark with only a dab of lube here and there I have dumped another 975 rounds into my bucket and started to work my way through about 300rds of that when I started to experience Fail to Feeds. This is the first time in over 10K rounds my gun experienced more than one FTF in an outing. They were happening on every magazine after nearing 10.5K rounds. I didn't have any proper lubricant with me so I used my vape juice (vegetable glycerine oil) and it continued to malfunction. I will apply some actual gun oil to see if it sorts itself out but in my case I think it's fair to say that the G44 is a reliable gun and I was able to run the gun successfully with no cleaning and only a lil lubricant in terms of maintenance for over 10,000 rounds of mostly low grade bulk ammo.

My feed ramp is completely crud ridden, very thick layer of fouling on the feed ramp and basically everywhere else. It hasn't looked like it should fire after the first thousand rounds but it just kept going. This test took a while (2021-2024) to complete, hope somebody got some value out of it and I know some people said they were a ways ahead of me on round count but I'm not sure that they made that claim along with the lack of cleaning maintenance, if so plz share.

Pretty impressive for a .22lr pistol, especially one people don't consider to be particularly reliable for them. I did not have that experience.
 
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Update: since I have surpassed the 10K rd mark with only a dab of lube here and there I have dumped another 975 rounds into my bucket and started to work my way through about 300rds of that when I started to experience Fail to Feeds. This is the first time in over 10K rounds my gun experienced more than one FTF in an outing. They were happening on every magazine after nearing 10.5K rounds. I didn't have any proper lubricant with me so I used my vape juice (vegetable glycerine oil) and it continued to malfunction. I will apply some actual gun oil to see if it sorts itself out but in my case I think it's fair to say that the G44 is a reliable gun and I was able to run the gun successfully with no cleaning and only a lil lubricant in terms of maintenance for over 10,000 rounds of mostly low grade bulk ammo.

My feed ramp is completely crud ridden, very thick layer of fouling on the feed ramp and basically everywhere else. It hasn't looked like it should fire after the first thousand rounds but it just kept going. This test took a while (2021-2024) to complete, hope somebody got some value out of it and I know some people said they were a ways ahead of me on round count but I'm not sure that they made that claim along with the lack of cleaning maintenance, if so plz share.

Pretty impressive for a .22lr pistol, especially one people don't consider to be particularly reliable for them. I did not have that experience.
Well my round count is pretty accurate unto 20,000 rounds fired. I do occasionally give the G44 a good cleaning but most of the time it is just a quick wipe down and lube. I bought mine in February of 2020 and did a lot of shooting with it since I had a good supply of 22lr ammo during the plandemic. I have 4 factory 10 round magazines and 4 ProMag 18 round magazines. At a minimum I will go through all 8 magazines twice per range trip.

I'll have to see if I can still find the thread on ARFCOM about the guy with 18,000 + rounds with no cleaning. His G44 was nasty looking to say the least.
 
Well my round count is pretty accurate unto 20,000 rounds fired. I do occasionally give the G44 a good cleaning but most of the time it is just a quick wipe down and lube. I bought mine in February of 2020 and did a lot of shooting with it since I had a good supply of 22lr ammo during the plandemic. I have 4 factory 10 round magazines and 4 ProMag 18 round magazines. At a minimum I will go through all 8 magazines twice per range trip.

I'll have to see if I can still find the thread on ARFCOM about the guy with 18,000 + rounds with no cleaning. His G44 was nasty looking to say the least.
It was pretty cold when I went out with the G44 last time, 10° give or take and using vape juice probably hindered it more than helped it. I know when the juice sits outside in my bag on a cold day it is very hard to get it out of the squirt bottle. There's a good chance that if I had used a proper lubricant or some 5w20 like I've been using, the gun will continue.

I'm going to dab some CLP on the rails and see if it will just keep trucking, for some reason I really don't want to clean it
 
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